At 6 p.m. tonight in Two Harbors, Minnesota, executives from Aspirus Health are required by state law to stand in front of residents of Silver Bay and explain, on the record, why they are closing the community's clinic. They must also describe how people will get care afterward, take at least an hour of public testimony, and answer questions.
Almost nowhere else in the country would that hearing be legally required. Most states allow a health system to reduce or relocate rural services with notice to regulators and a press release, and nothing more.
